In general, optical waveguides are formed of a length of transparent material that is surrounded by another material which has a lower index of refraction. Light beams propagating within the waveguide that intersect the interface between the transparent waveguide material and the surrounding material with the lower index of refraction at angles equal to or greater than the critical angle are trapped in the waveguide and travel losslessly along it.
Optical waveguides, such as optical fiber, have been used in many different applications. For instance, waveguides are used in optical switching technologies and for performing pulse compression. While current waveguide arrangements used in these applications work, they result in devices that are either too slow and/or require long lengths of optical waveguides to function. For instance, some optical pulse shaping devices, such as the optical switches disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 6,208,792 to Hwang et al. and the optical pulse compressor disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 6,108,474 to Eggleton et al., require kilometer-long spools of fiber to function properly.